Life expectancy falls by TWO YEARS in just a decade: An overburdened NHS, Covid and unhealthy lifestyles are to blame for people dying earlier, experts say

According to experts, the life expectancy of older people has dropped by two years in just a decade.

They think a toxic combination of an increasingly stressed NHS, the fallout from the pandemic and an unhealthy lifestyle is to blame.

The decline is against a long-term trend in which life expectancy has increased rapidly year after year – and makes it more likely that it has now peaked. Some experts fear that the obesity epidemic is finally catching up with us. But optimists believe the setbacks are temporary and that life expectancy will pick up again in a few years.

According to analysts, men aged 65 in 2012 could expect a pension of 23.5 years. Women of the same age can look forward to another 26 years of life.

But according to an update to be released next month, men who are 65 today will live an average of just 21.5 years and women another 24 years.

Stuart McDonald, head of longevity at health analysts LCP, said: “This is a huge drop by historical standards.”

He said analysts thought the “lagged impact of the pandemic” – with seriously ill people flooding the NHS because they have not received the care they need for the past three years – could continue for some time.

Nutritionist Susan Jebb, professor of nutrition and public health at the University of Oxford, said: “The rising prevalence of obesity will certainly contribute to a reduction in life expectancy. In addition, obesity occurs at a younger age, so people stay overweight longer and therefore experience more metabolic damage.”

The figures come from estimates prepared annually by actuaries as part of the Continuous Mortality Survey. This is used to calculate the interest rate.

Tam Fry, President of the National Obesity Forum: “Actuaries have known for a decade that obesity is a ticking time bomb. The time bomb exploded.”